Goldratt's Rules of Flow

I always get requests for Amazon reviews on every purchase. I wonder why. How can I evaluate a product immediately after getting the package? How can I evaluate a product I sent as a gift? So I hold my reviews to those products that exceed or fall below my expectations. This book, Goldratt’s Rules of Flow, written by Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag, exceeds my expectations even though I have read her work before. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag is Eli Goldratt’s daughter and holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology. She is a bright lady. I expected Efrat to explain Eli’s four concepts of flow as outlined in his article, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (2008). Efrat references this article with the statement: “Improving flow is the primary objective of every operation.” Nice quote! I thought this book would lead into a book on production and discuss the comparison between the five focusing steps and the concepts of flow. I had always wanted an explanation of the similarities and differences between these two Goldratt concepts. From Goldratt’s article above, the following excerpt is given.“In summary, both Ford and Ohno followed four concepts (from now on, we’ll refer to them as the concepts of supply chain):1. Improving flow (or equivalently lead time) is a primary objective of operations.2. This primary objective should be translated into a practical mechanism that guides the operation when not to produce (prevents overproduction). Ford used space; Ohno used inventory.3. Local efficiencies must be abolished.4. A focusing process to balance flow must be in place. Ford used direct observation. Ohno used the gradual reduction of the number of containers and then gradual reduction of parts per container.”I was wrong about Efrat’s book on two counts. First, I was expecting a book on manufacturing. Second, I was expecting a discussion of these four concepts. Not much new in my mind, but I was hoping for an enjoyable read. Instead, Efrat surprised me with a continuation of the story from Critical Chain with the academic (I am an academic) Richard Silver, the professor that taught the Critical Chain project methodology for single projects. Efrat’s novel is set ten years after Rick introduced TOC into his Executive MBA teaching. The main character, Marc, the head of engineering for a manufacturing firm, decides to sign up for an MBA course, the Rules of Flow, at a local university. To my surprise, Efrat has expanded four flow concepts into the eight flow rules and applied them not only to production but to the multi-project environment. Efrat discusses each of the eight rules and has students from different industries (banking, construction, IT, and manufacturing) provide questions, examples and obstacles to implementing them. Rick expands on their questions and answers, where the reader has an excellent understanding of the situation. Marc’s story is intertwined throughout the novel, as was Julie and Alex Rogo’s in Eli’s novel, The Goal. Efrat is now the giant that many others should stand on her shoulders to develop this body of knowledge. I would give a higher mark than 5 as the book far exceeded my expectations.My only suggestion for improving the book is that while Efrat provided a list of the 8 Rules of Flow at the end of the book, she should also provide instructions for their use in any multi-project organization. I would suggest that the reader copy these flow rules on a whiteboard and write the obstacle and how they will address it on the board each time they encounter an obstacle to one of the rules. PS: The book also shows the fit between these 8 flow rules and the 5 FS.

As was promised by the author, I woke up this morning to find my Kindle copy of "Goldratt's Rules of Flow" had been delivered to my Kindle library.The book was authored by Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag, Eli's daughter, colleague, and co-author of his last book "The Choice."Eli refers to the late Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt, the creator of the well-known "Theory of Constraints" that has become so popular as of late.Goldratt's Rules of Flow is a quick and fun read. I read it in a couple of hours. It's written in the Socratic style that characterizes so many of Eli's books. If you've read Eli's books like "The Goal" and "It's Not Luck" you'll know what I mean about this style.My experience with Theory of Constraints (TOC) began in the early 90s. I have been a student and practitioner ever since. It has been one of the most helpful subjects I have encountered in my 63 years of life.The book is a helpful mix of some well-known TOC guidance for improving flow, and some that is less well known. In my view, it covers the existing body of knowledge well.Let me offer an example, first of the former and then of the latter.Over the course of my career I have worked in high-tech companies, focusing on the development of complex electronic test equipment and medical devices like ultrasound systems and defibrillators. One of the common denominators in those industries is that they always have too much work in process.To improve the performance of such organizations, it's necessary to control the creation of new work to be done. TOC is all over this; you see it in books like "The Goal" and you see it in effective project management strategies like Critical Chain.More and more, you see people waking up to the problems caused by too much work in process. It seems like every consultant and coach on LinkedIn these days is talking about it, as if it's a new thing. Of course, it's not.So one of "Goldratt's Rules of Flow" is controlling work in process levels, and the book does a good job of helping the reader to understand why this is critical.What's an example of knowledge you'll get from this book that you won't get from other TOC books?Many years ago – at least 20 – a member of the faculty at Tel Aviv University published a paper titled "The complete kit concept." It did not get a lot of attention outside of the TOC community, and complete kit came to be known as full kit. Even today, few people seem to know about this concept. Yet it's a critical concept if you really want to improve flow."Goldratt's Rules of Flow" is one of the first TOC books that I have read (outside of the TOC Handbook) that addresses this important yet not widely known TOC concept.In total, the book consists of 27 chapters, with each chapter covering an important aspect of the TOC rules for ensuring and protecting flow.In summary, "Goldratt's Rules of Flow" is a quick, fun read. It will give you a good understanding and practical advice on how to apply the most important TOC guidance on protecting and improving flow.

Ótimo livro em estilo novela. Efrat-Goldratt deu continuidade a uma antiga demanda. Que venham mais livros de TOC interessantes como este.

I read Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag new book " Goldratt's Rules of Flow" in a couple of hours. Enjoyed it. Some of my thoughts ...If you're someone who's already well versed on the principles & practices of flow management then don't expect too much in terms of broadening your understanding.However, it would be a fantastic introduction for someone looking to develop an initial understanding of:1) the benefits of WIP control and what to limit,2) avoiding local optimizations and focusing on end-to-end flow of the system,3) the undesirable effects of multitasking,4) the importance of finding sources of delay and dealing with them, and5) effective use of buffer managementThis told via an interesting story that is very quick to read and does a good job of getting the key messages across.Good source for anecdotal stories to explain flow concepts if you're already experienced in this area.I also like that the book deals with knowledge work, "projects", and the inherent variation and uncertainty in that context - no manufacturing stuff. It's relatable.A must read if you're a fan of "The Goal" and the Theory of Constraints.Thanks for a great book Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag

Dr.Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag has certainly amazed us & infact personally I am extremely delighted that she chose to continue to fill the huge gap that Dr Eliyahu Goldratt has left behind.She surely carries the legacy of her Dad the late Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt in the art of story telling to solve such a complex issue, whilst making it such a fun to read.Wonderfully arriculated & summaried the "Rules of Flow" as under:(a) Avoid bad multitasking, control your WIP(b) If you don't want to get stuck, verify full-kit before you get going.(c) Triage to ensure you are working on the right priorities.(d) Ensure synchronization bet your tasks/people/resources.(e) If you keep going back to the same projects & you don't get the desired results, look into the option to increase the dosage.(f) Avoid unnecessary rework by finding what causes it.(g) Strandardization is recommended when improving is costly.(h) Abolish local optimum, global optimum is what matter.Thank you Dr Efrat for coming out which such a lovely book addressing one of the most painful point in every project we undertake. Do keep writing and would be eagerly awaiting to taking further insights from you.

Theory that can be applied no matter what industry/sector- if you are serious about efficiency, use the methods outlined in this book

The real beauty is in the way this book is written. There is no unnecessary complexity. A potentially very difficult topic on how to bring Flow in project environments is thoroughly described in simple terms. Which to me is the ultimate proof of deep understanding. I've read thick books, which were difficult to get through, full of long lists and tons of todo's, which were not adding anything to my understanding of how to get projects moving. This book sort of describes the engine which will get the car moving. Leave it to PMI and other expensive PM organisations to write volumes on how the car should look like, what wheels and how many doors are best and the type of glass in the rearview mirror. Without the engine the car will not drive.